Monday, September 12, 2016

Vatican fires Mallorca bishop over affair with secretary

The Bishop of Mallorca has been removed
from his post by the Vatican after complaints that he had conducted an
"improper relationship" with his married secretary.

Javier Salinas Viñals, 68. who was appointed as bishop to the Balearic
islands in 2013, was reported to the Vatican by the ex-husband of his
former secretary who claimed the prelate had been having a long-standing
affair with his wife.

The scandal erupted last December when a dossier was presented to
Vatican authorities containing a alleged evidence collected by a private
detective.

The complaint alleged that the bishop had been conducting an affair
with his secretary that had led to the break-up of her marriage.

It included photographs of the pair together as well as testimony from
witnesses and phone bills that purported to show the Bishop had made
lengthly late night calls to "his mistress".
It also claimed that the pair had exchanged rings.

The Bishop admitted that he had a close friendship with the woman in
question but insisted there was "no loving relationship" and said the
rings had been exchanged as a gesture within a prayer group.

He had appealed to the Vatican to stay in his post as bishop but this
week was removed from the role and will instead be transferred to the
archdiocese of Valencia as an "apostolic administrator".

The Vatican confirmed only that Salinas would be taking up the new role
in Valencia in its bulletin published on Thursday without citing
reasons and said that Sebastià Taltavull Anglada, currently auxillary
bishop in Barcelona would become the new bishop of Mallorca.